


All beauty must die

by MsUtterson



Series: The scenes we don't see [2]
Category: Jekyll & Hyde - Wildhorn/Wildhorn & Bricusse & Cuden/Bricusse
Genre: (not necrophilia per se but you've been warned), Blood, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Masturbation next to a dead body, Murder, One Shot, Sadism, Self-Reflection, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:01:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29086548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsUtterson/pseuds/MsUtterson
Summary: The aftermath of Edward Hyde’s last date with Lucy Harris.
Relationships: Lucy Harris/Edward Hyde, Lucy Harris/Henry Jekyll
Series: The scenes we don't see [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134038
Kudos: 4





	All beauty must die

It was nothing short of magical.

How, in a matter of seconds, a living, breathing, _alive_ human being could be turned into a carcass. How, in a twisted imitation of transubstantiation, a living creature could be changed into a pile of lifeless matter.

How, in a couple of decisive movements, one could put an end to another person's existence.

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, they said. But in these exhilarating moments, it was not God who did the taking. It was Edward Hyde and Edward Hyde alone, and he didn’t have to ask God for permission.

(Embarking upon their first anatomical dissections in medical school, some of Henry's fellow students had admitted that though they knew the bodies lying before them were stone-dead, they still somehow felt nervous about dissecting them, inexplicably feeling like their scalpels were hurting the dead men. Henry didn't understand their concern. From day one, his cuts were sure and deep.)

Hyde pressed his hands against the deep cut running across the girl's throat, feeling the warm blood that was still pouring out, running over his fingers and soaking his shirtsleeves. The surge of divine power still radiating through his body had to find its release somewhere. He slid a bloodied hand into his trousers.

For a moment, both occupants of Edward Hyde’s body were lost in a wordless, thoughtless sense of bliss.

* * *

(For Henry, Hyde taking the lead was like falling asleep. He kept slipping in and out of consciousness, his thoughts wandering around aimlessly. Sometimes, he could remember his dreams afterwards. Other times they blended into an intangible blur, to be forgotten as soon as he woke up.)

At first, Hyde had been eager to do Jekyll's bidding, gladly getting rid of the people Jekyll wanted to get rid of.

Lately, however, their opinions had started to differ.

Jekyll's solution to this particular problem had been to bribe the girl, to send her away and to make her feel indebted to him so she wouldn't rat him out. Hyde knew better than that. He knew that she _knew_. He knew that letting her live was too dangerous, and that knowledge left him with only one way to deal with her.

Besides, it was not as if she loved him. No. It was Jekyll that she loved, and Hyde that she despised. She was a terrible liar, unable to hide her disappointment whenever she saw Hyde entering her room… even though nine times out of ten, it was him and not Jekyll.

In her eyes, Jekyll was a vision of the man Hyde could be. The man Hyde _would_ be, eventually, if she only stayed patient and loyal and obedient for long enough.

In Hyde's eyes, she was faithless and Jekyll was becoming a hindrance.

* * *

Hyde never worried about getting caught. For all the trouble he gave him, Jekyll was his perfect front, his impeccable hiding place. Visiting the Doctor’s house in the good part of town, listening to him discuss the latest scientific discoveries over dinner, no one could ever guess the secret he was hiding.

Recently, though, cracks had started appearing in the facade.

John knew everything. Hyde couldn’t understand what had possessed him to do it, but Jekyll had forced him to reveal their secret to him. Thus far, John’s loyalty towards Jekyll had taken the upper hand over his respect for the law, but Hyde knew even the strongest allegiance could shift. Emma also suspected something. The afternoon they had found her in Jekyll’s laboratory, reading Jekyll’s diary, Hyde had wanted to finish her off where she stood.

That time, Jekyll had held him back.

Despite his wealth and his smarts, Henry Jekyll didn't have too many people in the world that truly cared about him, cared enough to notice something was amiss... but the ones he had, Hyde feared, would go into great lengths in their attempts to save their beloved Henry. Thus, they would have to be dealt with. Like Hyde had dealt with the girl lying on the blood-soaked sheets before him.

(Henry hadn't been in love with her, not quite yet, but he had been falling fast. If he was being honest with himself, nearly every action he took was motivated by some selfish ambition – but sending her the money had been a rare selfless act. He had only wanted to keep her safe from his own worst impulses.)

So two to go, and then, no one would care what Henry Jekyll was up to anymore.

* * *

Hyde’s hand was still resting on the girl’s throat, his fingers radiating warmth onto her cooling skin.

(Henry felt his thoughts slowing down, settling into their habitual patterns after a long confused drift. He smelled the familiar metallic scent of blood, but something felt out of place. He wasn’t supposed to be doing this. Not anymore. He had already taken his revenge. He had sworn he wouldn’t ever again indulge this part of himself.)

He knew he should take his leave, make sure no one saw him, but the sight of the girl mesmerized him. He stalled. It was almost a shame it had to end like this. Sure, she hadn’t liked him, but they had certainly fit together in other ways.

(No. Please, no. Please. Not _her_.)

He tried to rise from the bed to leave the room, but something held him in place.

_Jekyll._

How long had he been watching?

And how come Hyde hadn’t noticed him there?

Hyde had wanted to hurt Jekyll, that much was certain, but he had also wanted to get out before Jekyll took control. The man couldn’t be trusted with their secret anymore. He might end up making a scene, and then, both of them would be as good as dead.

(Remembering his own excitement and ecstasy over the girl’s soul leaving her body, Henry felt a sense of regret blended with disgust, desire and horror unlike anything he had ever felt before. He wanted to slip back into the background, to keep sleeping. Maybe he could only wake up after Hyde had killed everyone he had ever loved, and everyone else had forgotten all about him, and he wouldn’t have to feel this nauseous mix of thrill and terror any longer.

But he was wide awake now, unable to push himself back into oblivion.)

Hyde could not stay in the present anymore. His mind was slipping away from him. It was his turn to drift away and fall asleep.

* * *

Henry put his hand on Lucy’s cheek. It was cool to the touch already, and his attempt at a gentle gesture stained her face with her own blood. Her vacant eyes stared deep into nothing, but he didn't try to close them, not wanting to leave another mark on her face.

How could it be that, even now, she looked so enchantingly beautiful?

Eventually, someone would find her here. Maybe one of the other girls would come to her room to look for her before the midnight performance, only to find her pale and empty-eyed, lying on her bed, blood still slowly dripping onto the floor and her killer's handprint pressed onto her cheek.

His mind reeling and his vision pulsing in time with his heartbeat, Henry knew he had no other option than to leave, and leave fast.

If only he could also leave behind the feeling.

The sickening, rousing feeling of excitement rising in his stomach, each time he remembered how euphoric it had been to take the life of a woman who had loved him.


End file.
